A person reads the latest issue of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris on January 7, 2015, after gunmen armed with Kalashnikovs and a rocket-launcher opened fire in the offices of the weekly in Paris, killing at least 11 (AFP Photo / Bertrand Guay) / AFP

Just an hour before the Charlie Hebdo attack, the French satirical magazine posted the image of an ISIS leader with the words 'best wishes.' The weekly has a history of publishing controversial cartoons of world religions, cultures, and political leaders.

A black and white cartoon of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi was tweeted by Charlie Hebdo just an hour before
gunmen attacked the newspaper's Paris office, killing 10
journalists and two policemen.

The jihadist leader is seen raising the index finger on his right
hand – a symbol which is commonly understood among radical
Islamists as an allusion to 'tawhid,' the belief in the oneness
of God in the Muslim religion. While holding up a single finger
in this manner, militants are usually expressing their dedication
to this ideology – some underlying principles of which demand the
destruction of the West.

A caption on the image reads: "al-Baghdadi also
wishes...especially health."

In a video which captured the yet unidentified gunmen leaving the
building after the attack on Charlie Hebdo, one of them –
carrying an AK47 assault rifle – is seen raising his index finger
in the same manner.

Another recent drawing by Charlie Hebdo's editorial director
Stephane Charbonnier, a cartoonist known professionally as
'Charb,' shows a bearded man with a shoulder gun making the same
gesture. Its caption reads: "Still no attack in France?"
followed by "Wait, we have until late January to present our
wishes."

According to a police source, Charb was directly targeted in the
attack, with shooters allegedly having shouted "Where is
Charb?" upon entering the newsroom.

The French weekly, which has a circulation of 45,000 copies, is
published every Wednesday, with special editions issued on an
unscheduled basis. The magazine has received a number of threats,
as well as actual attacks, for mocking radical Islam over the
years.

"We are provocative today. We will be provocative
tomorrow...Our job is not to defend freedom of speech, but
without freedom of speech we are dead...I prefer to die than live
like a rat. I haven't time to be afraid, I have a paper to
do," Charbonnier told ABC News in 2012.

Followers of Islam believe the Prophet Muhammad cannot be
captured in an image by human hand, and that any attempt to do so
is an insult to Allah.

In September 2012, the paper published nude cartoons of the
Prophet Muhammad, sparking worldwide protests and forcing French
embassies and schools to temporarily close in 20 countries.
Hundreds gathered outside the French embassy in Tehran, chanting
“Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” as
well as “Death to France."

Charlie Hebdo published the caricatures, saying the illustrations
would "shock those who will want to be shocked." The
images, which were deemed blasphemous by Muslims, were also
condemned by the French government, which blamed the publication
for being needlessly provocative.

A group of Pakistani hackers claimed to have taken down the
official Charlie Hebdo website on the day of publication, and
vowed to do “whatever is necessary to stop blasphemous
content of our holy prophet” if the French government does
not take action against "so-called blatant freedom of
speech."

In December 2011, the magazine's Paris office was firebombed
after it said the Prophet Muhammad would be guest editor-in-chief
of its next issue. The publication was called “Sharia
Hebdo." A Molotov cocktail was thrown through the office
window, setting fire to the computer system. While no injuries
were reported, the damage was extensive.

One of the later large controversies sparked by Charlie Hebdo
made international headlines in January 2013. A special issue
containing cartoons on the life of the Prophet Muhammad was not
warmly welcomed by French authorities. "There is no necessity
to pour oil on fire," government spokesperson Najat
Vallaud-Belkacem said at the time.

Among the latest newspaper covers was a cartoon mocking the birth
of Christ, published ahead of Christmas celebrations in France.